


To Wish Impossible Things

by Marjorie_Franklin



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, On The Way To A Smile: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Awkwardness, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Developing Relationship, Drabble Collection, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Minor Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, One Shot Collection, Pre-Relationship, Randomness, Relationship(s), Romance, Romantic Angst, Shenanigans, Short Stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-04-18 21:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14222148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marjorie_Franklin/pseuds/Marjorie_Franklin
Summary: Curiosity killed the cat, but Yuffie couldn't help but be intrigued by the ultimate enigma that was Vincent Valentine. Who wouldn't be fascinated by him? He was like a treasure chest full of goodies! He'd warned her that some chests were better left unopened, but Yuffie had a nasty habit of never really listening to him. As with most things, Vincent didn't have much of a choice. Yielding to Yuffie was inevitable.





	1. VINCENT

Perhaps it's because I've been asleep for so long. Perhaps I've forgotten how to interact with people. Perhaps I've just forgotten what people are like. Sleeping for thirty years will do that to someone. No one would argue that all this is quite the adjustment for me…

Whatever the reason…I do not know how to handle the ninja.

" _Are you_ sure _you don't have it?"_

I nod without opening my eyes.

" _When was the last time you saw it?"_

I open one of my eyes to see Yuffie underneath my hotel bed, scrambling around underneath it in search of her precious Luck Materia.

I don't even  _use_ Luck Materia. Much less know where it is.

Yuffie gets back to her feet, puts her hands on her hips, and glares at me. "Aren't you going to answer me?!"

I answer with silence.

"Could you  _at least_  tell me where Cloud is?" she huffs.

I shake my head. "I haven't seen him since all of us were in the hotel lobby."

"Ah-ha! So you  _can_  talk!" she cries, clearly feeling victorious. "I was starting to think something had cast Silence on you."

My brow furrows. "You've heard me speak before."

Yuffie plops onto the bed. "Yeah, like  _twice_  and one of those was a grunt so it doesn't count."

Briefly, I consider this. Without question, I am a man a few words. I have no doubt that she is right about my words or the lack thereof. I haven't said much since joining them because I rarely need to, but I realize that this may indeed be the first time that I have spoken directly to this girl about…well, anything. Maybe that is why she is making such a big deal out of it.

I sigh and close my eyes again, hoping she will take the hint that I am not interested in talking anymore. Not that I was all that interested in the first place.

She doesn't take the hint. She stays on the bed, clearly content to just sit there and scrutinize me. Since she can't find her Materia or Cloud, I am now the consolation prize.

Unable to stand the tension anymore, I open my eyes to narrow them at her. Our eyes mate and the instant they do, her brow furrows and her head cocks to the side.

Suddenly, she is on her feet. She crosses the space, puts her hands on her knees, and leans toward me. She gets close, painfully so. This is the closest anyone has dared to get to me in a _long_  time. She eyes me with a curiosity only a teenager could possess.

"Yuffie…" I chide halfheartedly.

"Your eyes really are red," she muses as she somehow eases even closer to me. "I thought it was just all the red you wear reflecting in your eyes, but they really  _are_  red!"

I blink but otherwise remain unfazed. "Are all teenagers this blunt nowadays or is it just you?"

"Hmm…" Yuffie taps her chin a moment before a cheek splitting grin bursts across her face. "Nope! Just me, I think!"

That's a relief. I'm not sure if the Planet could sustain itself if people like Yuffie were the future.

I start to reply but decide it isn't worth the effort. It will probably trigger more questions. It is best to ignore her. That is what Cloud does most of the time, so I cast my gaze back out the window I'm perched on, watching a few fireworks explode in the sky above Gold Saucer.

"Are you  _sure_  you aren't a vampire?"

This isn't the first time she has asked me this. The first time was shortly after I joined them, after she'd had some time to evaluate me and devise the theory that I am indeed a vampire.

"I mean…your eyes are red," she continues since I don't answer. "I've seen you eat like twice. You don't really sleep. And you're pale."

I'm not looking at her, but I'm pretty sure she is counting all these vampire traits on her fingers.

_How the hell is Cid sleeping through this?_ I muse as I glare at the motionless, snoring mound of blankets on the bed behind Yuffie.

"I am not a vampire," I reply matter-of-factly.

In Yuffie's defense, after everything Hojo did to me, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I was a vampire. I wouldn't really consider myself human anymore. I'm something different, something worse. Like a vampire, I walk the strange, gray line between life and death.

"So if I fed you garlic right now, you wouldn't explode?"

I do not know much about vampire lore, but I am pretty sure that is not how that works.

"I wouldn't explode," I parrot.

She mulls this over a while. She bounces on the bed a little and clicks her heels together as her eyes wander the room.

"But seriously, do you ever sleep?" she asks. "Because most of the time it looks like you are just lying down. Also, did you know that you still rest like you are in a coffin?"

_Note to self: Yuffie loves twenty questions._

"Habit." I  _did_ lay like that for twenty some odd years.

"Is it comfortable to sleep like that?" Yuffie doesn't wait for my answer before she is flopping onto her back and folding her hands over her chest, trying said sleeping position herself.

I can take no more of this.

"If I help you find your Luck Materia, will you go back to your room?"

Yuffie jerks into action. She pops upright and nods feverishly.

Without another word, I head for the door.

* * *

Crowds bother me a lot more than they used to. And they bothered me before.

They seem louder than I remember. They definitely stare more, but I have grown used to the stares in the short time I've been awake. My appearance draws a lot of attention.

The crowds part for us as we make our way through the heart of Gold Saucer in search of Yuffie's precious Materia.

We retrace her steps, which is much easier said than done. Yuffie takes a lot of steps. Until now, I'd never realized how often she would sneak off and return to our group without our noticing. But it actually explains a lot…

At that moment I acknowledge that Yuffie is indeed talented. Her talent isn't the most conventional of talents but still a talent nonetheless. Not many people have the gift of stealth.

"Where was the last place you remember having it?" I finally ask. The aimlessness this… _adventure_  has taken on has begun chipping away at my patience.

Yuffie puts a hand on her hip and looks down and away in contemplation.

"Hmmm… Before we got on the tram in Corel."

"Is it possible that—"

"If you ask me if someone stole it from me, I swear I'll… I'll…" she pauses to shake a tiny fist at me "Well, I don't know what I'll do, but it'll be bad! Really bad! Like really,  _really_  bad! No. One. Steals. From. Yuffie. Kisaragi. EVER."

I don't respond to this.

We head for Wonder Square and start searching the arcade (I figured it was good a place to start as any), but after a while, I have to drag Yuffie away from all of the games she finds so tempting in the hope that she will actually start being at least somewhat productive again.

I don't get the appeal. These games are noisy and bright. I consider myself a man of reasonable intelligence, but I do not get the appeal of staring at a screen and performing various actions until said screen changes. Despite the variety the owners have obviously tried to offer their guests, all of these games seem equally pointless to me.

Things like these games make me believe that hiding away and sleeping for decades was indeed one of my better life choices.

"Here!" Yuffie shoves a stuffed cactuar into my chest.

I grab it out of reflex.

"Don't say I never gave you anything." She beams, obviously pleased with the fact that she was able to manipulate the nearby crane machine into giving her this…plushy.

What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Where is the nearest garbage can? Maybe I can toss it before she notices. Or I could just leave it behind. Some child would be happy to have it…

"You gotta name him," she declares as I make a path out of the arcade. If we linger, Yuffie will probably jump back onto the G-Bike game or start begging Crystal Fortune to give her a better reading since she didn't like any of its previous predictions for her life.

I don't answer. I just keep plowing through the sea of people, heading for Chocobo Square.

A race has already started by the time we enter, but I keep my eyes on the floor and on the counters in search of the yellow orb that has brought me here…with Yuffie.

Yuffie, however, has apparently abandoned all thoughts of Luck Materia as the bright chocobos glide by. The crowd cheers, but there are boos, curses, and other mixed responses too.

This area violates all of the senses in the worst ways. The flamboyant music is cranked up as high as it can go, but you can still hear all the shouting and chocobo  _warking._ Lights of every color imaginable encompass the entire area, and it is all but impossible to escape the smell of popcorn, beer, and chocobos.

I can't remember the last time I was this overstimulated…but a part of me acknowledges that things like this are how you know you're alive. To some, this is living. Since reemerging, I continually have to remind myself of these things.

As I watch Yuffie lean over the railing to get a better look at the race taking place, I find myself envious of her. I envy her enthusiasm, her energy. It must be nice to be excited about something.

Slowly, I realize that I envy these things about her because they are the pieces of humanity that have been burned out of me.

I cast my gaze away. I do not want or need reminders of the finer things in life I am missing out on.

A fight breaks out nearby, and I decide to focus on it for a while. When I finally look back toward the racetrack, Yuffie is gone. By the time I locate her again, she is crawling around on all fours on the ground between the legs of the crowd.

She pops up again with a hand full of gil, some torn passes, and chunks of garbage but no Materia.

I frown. "Could you have lost it in Corel?"

"Maybe," she admits as she tosses the garbage and starts counting the gil in her palm.

I can't help but wonder how much of that was actually gotten off the ground and how much was snatched from someone's pocket.

Yuffie snickers at the two men still fighting. They are rolling around in the floor now. Throwing curses and punches as they slowly cover themselves with anything and everything sticky that has accumulated on the floor.

As we continue to watch, Yuffie looks up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Twenty gil says that fat guy with nacho cheese on his shirt wins."

Apparently, Yuffie has picked on Cid and Barret's habit of making bets to pass the time.

* * *

Having deduced that we will not be finding Yuffie's Materia in the belly of Gold Saucer, I make my way back to the Ghost Hotel.

Unthinking, Yuffie follows on my heels. It's weird how content she is to just follow me blindly. She doesn't question me. For all she knows, I could be taking her to the Shinra labs.

Privately, I remind myself that not everyone is as cynical as me. She has no reason to trust me, but she had no reason to distrust me either.

"Have you thought of a name yet?"

I look back at her, bemused.

"For your cactuar," she elaborates, pointing to the stuffed animal I have shoved into my pocket. I couldn't get it all the way in through. Its head still pokes out, mocking me.

I shake my head.

"Well, get to it!"

I don't understand her. Why does this matter? What does she want from me? I don't know, but for some reason, I continue to humor her.

We search the faux graveyard near the Ghost Hotel a bit. We walk the foggy (smoke machine fog, not real fog) path and even check behind a few tombstones but find nothing. I am not even surprised anymore. I decided a while back that the Materia is long gone, but I continue looking anyway. Why? I haven't the faintest. Why not?

"Thought of one yet?"

"No."

We reenter the lobby. It is quiet aside from the heavy ticking of the clock. No one is here. There isn't even anyone awaiting potential customers behind the front desk.

With no one in my way, I start moving the chairs and inspecting the space near the chess table.

"Wanna play chess?"

I don't answer.

She sits down anyway, looking at the game someone abandoned.

Yuffie exhales and gives me a disapproving stare. "Got a name, Valentine? Your poor cactuar still doesn't have an identity. He will go through life with no individuality or even the ability to obtain any form of recognition. How will he introduce himself? How will he fill out paperwork? How will he get a job?"

_It is a stuffed animal. Why would it need an identity? He will not be doing any of these things._

"Cactuar," I say, not because I care but because I want to pacify her and bring whatever this is to an end.

" _Cactuar_?!" She reels, almost flipping out of the chair. "That's a horrible name! That's like naming a dog… _dog_!"

I stare at her and blink, unfazed before I glide across the space and briefly glance under the stairwell for anything yellow.

_Nothing._

"Ugh!" Yuffie slings her head back. "Fine! That's the worst name ever, but I guess a horrible name is better than no name."

Silently, I motion for her to get up and follow me back to her room. Yuffie surprises me by understanding my silent plea in its entirety. She knows that I am finished. Our adventure (if it could even be called that) has come to an end. We have failed.

Defeated, she gets up and follows me. She is dragging her feet along the blood-red carpet. Her head is low, and she is practically dragging her hands behind her.

We reach her room, and I open the door for her and motion for her to go in.

She pouts a little but eventually goes in, albeit begrudgingly.

Dramatically, she flops face first onto the bed. Some of the pillows fall into the floor as the feathery mattress attempts to swallow her petite frame whole.

"Goodnight, Yuffie," I say as I turn to leave.

Without pulling her head up or out of the mattress, she waves me away.

I step out into the hallway, but before I shut the door, Yuffie's head pops up. She looks back at me, her face red with embarrassment.

"Vince, you aren't going to believe this…" she drawls as she slowly sits upright.

_Don't tell me…_

"It's been in my bed the whole time." Yuffie pulls the glowing, golden orb out from under the blankets. "It must have fallen out of my pocket when I fell asleep earlier…"

I have no words, but I am not really surprised by this turn of events.

"Goodnight, Yuffie," I say flatly and shut the door behind me.


	2. VINCENT

I loathe Cover Materia. I understand its relevance. I do. But it was not made for people like me. It was made for individuals like Barret or Cloud. That is not to say that I don't know how to take a punch. I can take a licking with the best of them, but let's just say that there is a reason I specialized in long-range weaponry as a Turk.

So why the hell did I let Tifa talk me into equipping it? Probably because I have been grouped with Aerith and Yuffie, and I am the obvious choice in this particular scenario. But couldn't we have just avoided it altogether? Maybe, but I hadn't asked. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, so I now realize I should have asked.

The Temple of the Ancients isn't that much further though. If I'm lucky – but I'm usually not – there won't be any major enemy encounters. The primary party should be able to make a path for the rest of us bringing up the rear.

As expected, I am not lucky. About halfway to our destination, we are ambushed by a flock of Bombs. Hell, I didn't even know that Bombs inhabited this area of the woodlands!

There are only three of them. Hopefully, we can make pretty quick work of them and move on.

I wrap my fingers around Cerberus and initiate the fight. Aerith and Yuffie follow my lead, rallying their weapons and prepping themselves for Magic use.

In typical Yuffie fashion, she jumps right in, stealing what she can from as many Bombs as she can, something I want to reprimand her for. Every time she steals from one of them, they grow, giving us an even smaller window of time to defeat them before they self-destruct.

I should probably say something. Speaking up does have its advantages at times… I really need to work on my communication skills. I don't recall having this kind of block when I was working with Shinra…but  _a lot_  has happened since then… Regardless, I am too wrapped up in the fight to work on my communication skills or the lack thereof.

Aerith tries to neutralize the situation with magic, but it doesn't help us that much considering we lack the muscle needed to finish these bastards efficiently. Despite this, we still manage to dwindle their numbers to one, but the one that remains has swollen to the size of an airship. If we don't finish him soon, we are going to be in trouble.

I hear some of the others nearby. Apparently, they noticed us falling too far behind and are backtracking to check on us. Maybe if we can hold out until they join us, Cid or Cloud can deal a strong enough blow to prevent this thing from blowing up. There is the possibility that it will explode even if we don't lay a finger on it, but I'm willing to take the risk. I still think we'll have better odds waiting on backup.

"Wait…" I call, but it's too late.

Yuffie takes it upon herself to attempt to deal the final blow. I pray to whatever gods will listen that she is successful, that her little arms will muster enough force to render the monster impotent.

Again, good fortune eludes me. Yuffie throws her shuriken at the Bomb, but it doesn't die. It doubles in size, hissing like a fuse, and I feel the heat radiating off it.

_Shit._

Self-destruct is inevitable. We all see it coming and assume the position of defending ourselves to the best of our ability.

The Bomb rushes at Yuffie, ready to latch onto her and blow her to bits. Instantly, I lose all muscle control. I feel the Cover Materia posses every nerve and ligament I have, and I am suddenly hurling myself between the Bomb and Yuffie.

We collide and the moment we make contact, it is exploding violently against my chest.

I am on the ground in a tight ball of pain, gripping the warm earth beneath me in a vain attempt to alleviate some of the torment vibrating through my very core.

I manage to get back to my feet (assuming I still have both of them), but I sway like a sailor on a ship. I stagger backward, trying to recover from the blast. I think I might be dying. I am trying to cough up the pain splintering through my sternum and ribs to no avail.

I'll probably die. This will probably kill me.

_Goddamn it…_

I bow over from the pain. Someone places a hand on my shoulder, and I swat it away instantly. I want to get away from it. I don't want it. Briefly, I wonder what it is that I am _really_  running from, but I don't dwell on it.

_No._

" _Vin…n…t?"_

I hear fragments of what I think is my name amid the intense, shrill ringing in my ears.

If I live, I think I will probably have some kind of permanent hearing damage. I'm probably missing body parts. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I am nothing but a torso or maybe a head. But since I've gotten to my feet and brushed someone's touch away, I have to have at least _some_ of my appendages left. The same can't be said for my nose, fingers, or my internal organs though.

Opening my eyes, the red fog that had engulfed me slowly clears, and I realize Cloud was the one I'd knocked away. He's looking at me now with a pensive yet concerned look on his face. His pretty, blue eyes glow with mild irritation, but it doesn't blot out his underlying concern.

We stare at each other down a moment, neither of us wanting to be the first to cave, speak, or apologize.

At that moment, I realize we have a lot in common…Cloud and I.

Silently, he motions for Aerith to come to my aid, but she doesn't get far. A small, black blur reaches me first.

" _Vincent! Are you okay?"_

_The ninja. Yes. The reason I am in pain in the first place._

I manage a nod.

"Here…" Yuffie eagerly pulls a Hi-Potion out of her pocket and hands it to me.

My stubborn streak wants to refuse the offering. My spiteful side also wants to refuse the offering. But something else in me – likely what remains of my humanity – can't turn the girl's help away. So I take the shining bottle of liquid, albeit begrudgingly.

* * *

For all the obvious reasons, I am not chosen to join the primary party in the Temple of the Ancients. Despite Yuffie's Potions and Aerith's ministrations, I am still partially blind and deaf…and irritated.

Probably out of guilt, Yuffie stays pretty close to me. She's huddled next to me by the campfire, consistently offering nostrums and other various forms of assistance, most of which I refuse.

"I'm  _really_  sorry, Vince…" she apologizes. Again.

"Mm." I know she's sorry, and I have forgiven her. Repeatedly. But I think she truly feels bad about what happened. I've never really seen her act this way.

"Don't worry 'bout ole broody britches." Cid slaps a hand onto Yuffie's back. "He's tough."

Yuffie acknowledges Cid, but she doesn't seem convinced. She continues to hover, watching me as if I am going to keel over at any moment. I must still look pretty rough, not that I looked that great to begin with…

"Come on, Yuffie," Tifa chides gently as she hands Yuffie some of the food she's prepared. It looks like some kind of stew. "Eat something and leave Vincent alone."

Thank the gods for Tifa.

Yuffie is reluctant. Her eyes dart between Tifa and me before she gets up and takes her serving of stew to the other side of the campsite with Barret and Red who are still trying to put up another tent.

I stay huddled up by the fire, drifting in and out of sleep.

My dreams are heavy and muddled. They are a strange mesh of the past and the present. None of them make sense and all the gunfire, contorted voices, blood, Bombs, and Mako in them make it harder to stay asleep. I'm restless despite the lingering pain and weariness that has settled into my bones.

When I wake up yet again, Cloud, Aerith, and Cait Sith still aren't back. I assume I haven't been out that long if they are still inside the temple. That, or something has gone wrong, but I try not to think about all the possible scenarios that could have resulted in their failure.

I glance around the campsite.

Tifa is still awake, waiting intently for Cloud and the others to get back.

_No surprise there._

Barret is propped against a tree close to Tifa, likely keeping her company since he knows she won't go to sleep until the others are back safe. I can hear the faint murmur of his gruff voice even though I can't make out what he's saying.

Cid cannot be accounted for, so I am going to assume he's already gone to sleep. He's probably in the tent across the way since I can't hear his hearty snoring.

Red XIII is lying on the ground by the fire, but I can't tell if he is asleep or just resting. His eyes are closed and there is a slight twitch in his slowly swaying tail.

So that just leaves…

" _Hey, you're awake!"_

_Yuffie._

"Mm." I nod.

She crouches down next to me. There are a few twigs and blades of grass in her hair, and her eyes look rather lazy. She has probably been dozing in her sleeping bag not too far away.

"Feeling any better?" she asks sheepishly, her eyes flickering up to meet mine. She is unexpectedly earnest. All of her usual confidence and swagger are nowhere to be seen.

I shift around a little to see how sore I am. Surprisingly enough, it isn't that bad anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to take on a dragon or anything, but I am better than I was. Then again, for a while, it couldn't have been much worse.

"Better," I grumble.

"Good." She smiles for the first time since this whole ordeal started and releases a short, relieved breath. "I'm glad."

I expect her to leave now, but Yuffie continues to surprise me. She pulls her sleeping bag beside me, getting as close as she can to me. She suddenly reminds me of a cat that wants to be as close to their owner as possible without actually getting into their lap.

Yuffie penetrates my bubble yet again. She has little regard for personal space – at least mine anyway. Her back settles against the outside of my thigh. I feel the warmth radiating off her small frame into my leg, my _real_  leg.

It's funny how things that were once so normal and insignificant can become so foreign. And this kind of contact – no matter how subtle – makes me uneasy. I am no longer accustomed to these kinds of interactions. I like my space. I like the Planet and all that comes with it at arms length. Everyone else seems to get that, but not Yuffie. No, Yuffie is the only person who dares to get this close to me.

Instinctively, I shift away so we are no longer touching, but Yuffie is having none of it. She wriggles back towards me like a magnet until my leg is once again supporting her back.

Realizing getting away is futile, I resolve to tolerate it…until she dozes off.

"Hey…Vincent?" She shifts and peeks over her shoulder at me, her brown eyes glistening in the golden firelight.

I blink.

"Thanks. You know, for taking that blast for me…" she mumbles, suddenly shrinking into her sleeping bag with a rueful wrinkle in her brow.

Gratitude isn't something I hear her express often, so needless to say, I am a bit taken aback. It's also why I can't bring myself to tell her that protecting her wasn't something I did of my own volition. I just can't tell her that I was equipped with Cover Materia the whole time...

I cast my gaze out towards the blackened tree lining. "…You're welcome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I've used the whole Cover Materia shtick in some of my other FFVII stories before, but I just couldn't resist using it again, this time with Vincent at its victim. I don't recall ever equipping him with Cover Materia whenever I played the game (I'm sure some people did though), but for the sake of this story and its shenanigans, we are going to pretend that it was necessary ;)
> 
> Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


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